Third-rail system for electric railways.



' PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

W. E. KILEOUEN. TEIEE EAIL SYSTEM EOE ELECTRIC EAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 1. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

LI I J L l il@ @I5 '/kI UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

THIRD-RAIL SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 764,244, dated July 5, 1904.

Application lled October l, 1903. Serial No 175,276. (No model.)

To (t/Z whom t rn/(ty concern:

Be it known that I, WASHINGTON H. KIL- BoURN, of Greenfield, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Third-Rail Systems for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to third-rail conductor systems for electric railways, and has for its object to reduce the expense attending the installation and maintenance of such conductors, at the same time making the same entirely safe and free from danger.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a top plan view of a portion of a street-railway track embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section. Fig. 4 represents an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 2.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the ligures.

In the drawings, a e represent the trackrails of an electric railway, the same being supported in any suitable way, preferably by wooden ties L.

c represents a continuous conductor for the electric current, said conductor being preferably a rigid rail or bar, and may therefore be called a third rail. The conductor may, however, be a flexible wire, mounted on suitable supports.

l Z represent guard-rails which are supported at opposite sides of the conductor c and project above the same. The upper edges of the guard-rails Z l are separated from each other by a narrow slot d@ which is formed to receive a conducting-arm mounted on the car and in movable contact with the conductor c. The upper edges of the guard-rails are preferably on about the same level as the treadsurfaces of the rails e, the conductor c being below the level of the upper edges of the guard-rails. The conductor c is mounted on supports c, which are preferably affixed to When the usual iilling and pavthe ties b.

ing material, which is not shown in the drawings, is in place, it occupies the spaces between the rails e and the guard-rails (I, the latter supporting said material and preventing it from eneroaching upon the space in which the conductor c is located.

The guard-rai ls el are composed of relatively short sections 2 2, as shown in Fig. 1, the sections being suitably insulated froln each other and from the conductor c. The length of the sections 2 is such that when any section is electrically energized by the conducting-arm on the car, the latter receiving the current from the conductor c, the energized section will not project far enough from either end of the car to constitute a source of danger.

f represents a conducting arm or shoe which is connected with a car and has a suitable electrical connection with the motor on the car. The shoe f is formed to enter the slot nl and ride upon the conductor c and is provided 4with shoulders f f', which may bear upon the upper edges of the guard-rails at opposite sides of the slot (Z, so that the wear of the shoe is supported in part by the guard-rail, The shoe f may be ad justably connected with the car by means of swinging links r/ f/ or otherwise, so that it may be raised and lowered.

It will be seen that the guard-rails arranged.

to cover and protect the continuous conductor and composed of insulated sections enable a third-rail conductor to be used with entire safety, the system being of relatively inexpensive construction. By mounting the guardrails and the continuous conductor on the ties I prevent liability of the accumulation of water around the conductor, any water which may find its way into the space between the guard-rails readily subsiding through the loose material between and under the ties.

I claiml. A third-rail conductor system comprising a conductor and guard-rails secured at opposite sides of and projecting above said conductor, and separated from each other above the conductor by an arm-receiving slot, said guard-rails beingI composed of sections insulated from each other, and from the conductor.

2. A third-rail conductor system comprising a conductor located between the track-rails and below their tread-surfaces, and guardrails secured at opposite sides of and projecting above said conductor and separated from each other above the conductor by an arm-reoeiving slot, the guard-rails being composed of sections insulated from each other and from the conductor, and a conducting-shoe formed to entei` said slot and bear on the eon- IO duetor, said shoe having shoulders formed to bear on the guard-rails.

In testimony whereoi` I have affixed my sig nature in presence of two witnesses.

WASHINGTON H. KILBOURN. Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN', L. E. KENNEDY. 

